AGENDA DATE: 10/4/2017
TITLE:
Title
Police Department Career Development Program Revision
BODY
SUBJECT/PROPOSAL/REQUEST:
Request approval of a Police/HR-recommended change to the Police Department’s Career Development Program to provide greater pay equity among officers going forward and to retroactively compensate officers impacted by this revision.
ITEM TYPE: Consent Action Item
STAFF CONTACT(S): Walker, Lantz, Gerome, Robb, Jenkins
PRESENTER (S): Gregory A. Jenkins, Dana Robb
LEGAL REVIEW: Not Required
REVIEWED BY: Douglas C. Walker
BACKGROUND:
The Albemarle County Police Department (ACPD) has traditionally utilized a Skills Proficiency Program (SPP), which placed an emphasis on specialized technical trainings and task-specific proficiencies, to support raises and career enhancement opportunities. In August 2015, the ACPD transitioned to a Career Development Program (CDP), described in Attachment A. The CDP provides for a more comprehensive evaluation of an officer’s development and focuses on not only an officer’s technical skills, but also leadership development, and community-oriented policing. The new CDP focuses on career enhancements that build upon the ACPD’s Geographic Policing initiative, a strategic priority of the Board of Supervisors.
During this 2015 transition, all Senior and Master Police Officers that were previously in the SPP were “grandfathered” into the CDP for three years with the stipulation that they would be required to meet the new requirements of the CDP by the end of the third year. At the time that these Senior and Master Police Officers made this transition, they did not receive the same pay adjustment that new officers entering the CDP would typically receive.
Under the SPP, officers received a 6% increase based on their entry-level hourly rate (the pay grade minimum) and new officers entering the CDP received a 5% increase based on their current individual hourly rate. For the majority of the “grandfathered” officers, 5% of their actual hourly rate is greater than 6% of their pay grade minimum. The consequence of this discrepancy has been that these Senior and Master Police Officers have been compensated at a much lower rate than those entering the CDP now. For example, there is a Master Police Officer that was “grandfathered” into the CDP making $5,210.23 less in salary for the period of August 2015 to September 2017 because of this difference in compensation between the two programs.
The purpose of this report is to present the Board with ACPD and Human Resources staff recommendation to remedy this inequity in a manner that is effective and equitable for all affected staff.
STRATEGIC PLAN: Quality Government Operations: Ensure County government’s capacity to provide high quality service that achieves community priorities.
DISCUSSION:
Chief of Police Ron Lantz was recently made aware of this inequity by staff members and is requesting a revision to the CDP that will allow impacted officers to be compensated using the rate basis in the CDP.
There have been nine (9) Senior Police Officers and fifteen (15) Master Police Officers identified as having been “grandfathered” into the CDP from the SPP. (Attachment B) These officers did not receive the adjusted hourly rate under the current CDP basis.
BUDGET IMPACT:
If this request is approved, the retroactive payments covering August 1, 2015 through September 30, 2017 will be a one-time cost of $43,305, including FICA. Staff recommends this one-time cost be funded by a one-time funding source, the General Fund balance.
The approximate cost for the remaining nine months of FY18, which includes benefits of transitioning all officers from the SPP into the CDP effective October 1, 2017, is $29,812. Staff recommends funding for the ongoing costs of $29,812 be funded by the Reserve for Contingencies, which currently has a balance of $312,184.
Together, these two recommendations have an approximate budgetary impact for FY18 of $73,117.
If approved, the total ongoing cost of approximately $40,000 will be included as part of the Police Department’s FY19 Recommended Budget.
Calculation of transition costs is outlined in Attachment C.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Board authorize the following two actions:
• Make proposed one-time lump sum payments to affected officers to cover the retroactive pay for August 1, 2015 through September 30, 2017.
• Change the current hourly rates of affected officers effective October 1, 2017 to conform to the current CPD standards.
If approved, staff will prepare an appropriation request accordingly for the November 1, 2018 Board of Supervisors meeting.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A- ACPD Career Development Policy
Attachment B-SPP to CDP Retro Pay Spreadsheet
Attachment C-SPP to CDP Transition Cost